Roma. Papal Major Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican

2023

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, officially the Papal Major Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, is a Roman Catholic basilica located in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City state; it is a masterpiece of Italian art and one of the symbols of Rome, of which it dominates the panorama. It is the largest of Rome's four papal basilicas and is often described as the largest church in the world both for its size and, metaphorically, for its importance as a center of Catholicism. However, it is not the cathedral church of the Roman diocese since this title belongs to the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, which is also the first in dignity being the Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and of the World. As a papal chapel, located adjacent to the Apostolic Palace, St. Peter's Basilica is the seat of the main manifestations of Catholic worship and is therefore in solemn function on the occasion of the main papal celebrations. Under the pontificate of Pius IX it hosted the sessions of the First Vatican Council and under Pope John XXIII and Paul VI those of the Second Vatican Council. In addition to its liturgical importance, due to its thousand-year history, the workers involved, the exceptional technical and artistic quality, as well as the enormous and lasting influence it exerted on later architecture, St. Peter's basilica is widely considered one of the absolute masterpieces and one of the most important achievements in the history of architecture, and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Vatican City and established in 1984.

You may also like

Gaeta, Lazio, the Split Mountain.

According to the most famous legend, the Montagna Spaccata di Gaeta split into two large blocks of rock at the time of Christ's crucifixion, leaving an inlet to the clear waters of the Gulf. The waters of the Mediterranean poured into the rupture lines, forming underground caves and streams. The natural recess became an ideal hiding place for pirates since ancient times.

Terracina, Temple of Jupiter Anxur

The temple of Jupiter Anxur is a Roman temple built on an imposing construction of the 1st century BC. on Mount Sant'Angelo, in the city of Terracina, in the province of Latina.

Marina di Minturno (LT) - Parte II

Ostia. Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica is historically considered the “Gateway to Rome”: founded at the mouth of the Tiber, it was the first colony of Rome, as early as the 4th century BC.

Lake Bracciano. View and panorama

Lake Bracciano, originally called Lake Sabatino, is a lake that fills a depression of volcanic and tectonic origin, located in the Roman Tuscia and surrounded by the Sabatini Mountains.

Tyrrhenian sea, Lazio, Italy. Spectacular sunset

Roma. The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

The papal Liberian archpriest major archbasilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, known simply by the name of basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore or basilica Liberiana (because on its site it was thought there was a cult building erected by Pope Liberius, which however has been denied by investigations carried out under the pavement), is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, located in Piazza dell'Esquilino on the top of the homonymous hill, on the top of the Cispio, between the Rione Monti and the Esquilino. It is the only basilica in Rome to have preserved the primitive paleo-Christian structure, albeit enriched by subsequent additions.

Marina di Minturno (LT) - Parte I

Cassino. The Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino.

The abbey of Montecassino is a Benedictine monastery located on the top of Montecassino, in Lazio. It is the oldest monastery in Italy together with the monastery of Santa Scolastica.

Priverno. Cistercian Abbey of Fossanova.

Fossanova Abbey is located in the municipality of Priverno, 5 km south of the city center, in the province of Latina. The surrounding area has the appearance of a vicus and takes its name from a sewer that in the early days of the small village (now a hamlet of Priverno) was called Fossa Nova. Declared a "national monument" in 1874, Fossanova Abbey is the oldest example of Cistercian art in Italy and, together with Casamari Abbey, one of its highest expressions. The complex was born at the end of the 12th century from the transformation of a pre-existing Benedictine monastery, perhaps dating back to the 6th century, of which a faint trace remains above the rose window of the church. The ancient monastery, built on the ruins of a Roman villa, was in fact ceded in 1134 by Pope Innocent II to some Burgundian monks, led by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who followed the rigid rule resulting from the Citeaux reform (1098) based on the original Benedictine orthodoxy. The abbey complex known as a remake of the Benedictine one is made up of the cloister, the heart of the entire organism, the church of Santa Maria, the Chapter House with the monks' dormitories above, the refectory, the kitchen and the dormitories of the lay brothers. The pilgrims' house, the cemetery and the infirmary complete the complex. Consecrated in 1208, it preserves the bare architecture, the magnificent rose window and lantern and the finely sculpted capitals, testifying to the pre-eminent role played in the area. The buildings of the monumental complex are fenced so as to appear like a village, further enriched by the remains of a Roman villa from the 1st century BC, visible right in front of the church. In the 18th century the abbey was called Badia del For Appio. In one of the abbey's rooms, the monks' products are sold, from food to wines and liqueurs. From 1935 to 2017, a community of Conventual Friars Minor (Franciscans) lived in the abbey. Since 2017, the care of the abbey and the parish has been entrusted to the fathers of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, with the help of the Sisters Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, by the same Religious Family.

↑Back to Top